What began as writing songs in their dorm room quickly became a campus sensation that propelled five individuals to sign multiple record deals.
Rainbow Kitten Surprise returns to App State Oct. 17 for a hometown show in the Holmes Convocation Center.
The alternative-pop group got their start in Boone 12 years ago when members Ela Melo and Darrick “Bozzy” Keller met in Bowie Residence Hall. After recording their first EP, titled “Mary,” the two joined forces with three other bandmates to write the album “Seven.” These two projects were combined into the band’s first studio album, titled “Seven + Mary.”
On Jan. 30, 2015, RKS signed their first record deal with App State’s student-run record label, Split Rail Records. This allowed the group to professionally record, produce and release their self-titled album, “RKS,” on April 25, 2015.
Kim Wangler, the previous director of the music industry studies program, wrote in an email about how RKS got started with Split Rail.
“The students in the company had complete control of choosing an artist, and so someone brought them for consideration and all agreed they had great potential,” Wangler wrote.
Split Rail provided the band with recording engineers, advertising and physical copies of their music. Rachel Mullins, the former president of Split Rail, interviewed with The Appalachian in 2015, pointing out some unique factors RKS showcased.
“We haven’t worked with this style of music or this size of a group in a while, and we feel that RKS has a lot of talent and potential that we’d like to help them develop and showcase,” Mullins said in the interview.
This conglomerate of students put RKS in a recording studio for the first time, providing the musicians and students with hands-on industry experience.
“Of course we are super proud to have been connected with them, and we think we created a great first studio album for them,” Wangler wrote. “I think everyone grew and learned through the studio experience – there were ups and downs getting all the tracks recorded… and we all learned.”
RKS is not the only successful musical act to come out of the High Country, standing alongside country artists Luke Combs and Eric Church as App State’s “claim to fame.”
Through the joint efforts of Split Rail and music industry students from the Hayes School of Music, RKS was able to carry their success beyond Boone’s bar scene.
In 2017, the band signed with Elektra Records, a subsidiary of Warner Music Group. This followed a successful run of performances at popular festivals, such as Bonnaroo and Austin City Limits.
The band’s first release with Elektra, “How to: Friend, Love, Freefall,” would go on to be certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Additionally, this album cycle saw the band’s last show in Boone. In 2018, RKS took the stage at the now demolished campus venue, Legends. Ahead of their performance, the band interviewed with The Appalachian to discuss the hometown show which kicked off their “Friend, Love, Freefall” tour.
“For us, we wanted to make sure our hometown knew that we hadn’t forgotten about them,” Melo said in the interview. “After traveling all over the country, it was time to return to our roots and come back home.”